Social Media Gives 007 and Brands License to Thrill

We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character. ~ Henry David Thoreau

After 50 years, James Bond and the 007 film franchise have become synonymous with Great Britain. As Nick Clark of UK’s The Independent notes, Sony Pictures has succeeded in promoting Skyfall, the latest installment, in spectacular fashion; no doubt benefiting from 007 opening the London 2012 Olympics with Queen Elizabeth. In keeping with the need of the franchise to stay relevant and up to date, social media presents an opportunity for a new generation of Bond fans to connect.

Social media has been integrated into the overall promotion of Skyfall reports Geetika Rustagi of the Hindustan Times. Skyfall’s Facebook and Twitter strategy includes leveraging the franchise’s existing social media accounts as well as a shareable fan generated photo mosaic. Brands that rise to the challenge of creatively engaging the fans also have the added advantage of gaining along with the film’s launch. Coke Zero’s Unlock the 007 in youpromotion has experienced a measure of success as revealed by Cision’s conversation clouds analysis of online mentions. Other brands getting in on the Facebook action include Heineken with its Crack the Case app, Honda Cars UK campaign, and Hotels.comDeals for Me app.

So, which Bond film is your favorite? Have you interacted with the Bond franchise online? Share your thoughts about the brands that reflect your aspirations.

2 Comments

shobhasky

The 007 films allow people to vicariously entertain the experience of a spy’s life. Social media will be a real advantage in drawing in younger generations. The various brands that tie into the promotion of the film, Skyfall, will bolster its fan base even more.

I’ve always been a huge 007 fan. In fact, recently one of the movie TV stations (maybe AMC?) did a James Bond marathon. I re-watched all of the movies and enjoyed them just as much as the first time around. Although, it’s interesting to see how the technology has changed — those James Bond vehicles were still pretty futuristic, even in the 60s.

I agree that the Olympic moment with 007 and the Queen parachuting to earth probably had a very positive impact on the brand — perhaps commandeering some new Millennial fans that hadn’t had as much exposure as some of the older generations.

I will definitely check out Skyfall’s Facebook and Twitter pages. And by the way, Adele did a fabulous job on the theme song. Love her!